I would leave it a 300 WIN MAG. Shoot 215 Berger's out of it and blow the 257 and 264 away. Get a 9 twist or even a 8.5 and you can shoot the heaviest for caliber bullets out right now. Don't think the twist rate for the new Berger 245 gr has been released yet. But if deciding only between the 257 and 264, I would go 264 all day long. Better bullet selection and will deliver WAY more energy on the long distance shots. I have a 25-06 AI which gets me very close to 257 Weatherby speeds. 115 Berger at 3350 fps. But because the 115 is so light the energy just drops off so fast. But at 500 yards will work on wolf to deer size game no problem. Again if going with either research your twist rate on your new barrel so you are not limited on what bullet you can shoot.
An actual 4-500 yard deer and wolf gun
- Thread starter brybenn
- Start date
- Location
- sudbury, ontario
Ok well when in doubt ...go bigger this way you have the option to do so and also have the knock down power!!!!
And get out and practice practice practice......it’s called shot placement......if it is presented then you know your good to go ...if not .....why ...take a shot ....and induce pain and suffering....just my thoughts.......
There will be another time when the opportunity presents it self
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And get out and practice practice practice......it’s called shot placement......if it is presented then you know your good to go ...if not .....why ...take a shot ....and induce pain and suffering....just my thoughts.......
There will be another time when the opportunity presents it self
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i wouldn't shoot at meat critters at long range meself, but for pest critters i'd go the 6.5 mm...but in the swede, not the 264 win.
x2 !!!
Why not do up a wildcat based on the 300wm cartridge then? 6.5x300wm must have been done before... Then you shouldn't have to worry about magazine or feeding issues.
Hes like me and has 2 300wm. Hes keeping one and rebarreling the other to something under 275 cal.
He has a 500 yard backstop on his property in which deer and wolves pass in front of. When he comes down south to shoot coyotes with me he needs a smaller caliber. He got bored with his 270 but wants to still shoot faster than my 2506
.264 Win Mag. My first deer and moose gun. My son's first deer and moose gun. Better bullet selection. We both shot winchester model 70's with the 24" barrel but the .264 really shines better with a 26" barrel. There is low recoil and the nosler partitions put the moose to sleep. If you have your heart set on a .257 and you are a reloader you can make .257 brass out of cheap .264 Win brass by fire forming with 13 grains of Bullseye+cornmeal+wood glue on top. Don't waste money on bullets when you are fire forming.
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I hunted with a 264 win mag for many years and it worked fine. In the mid eighties or so I purchased my first chronograph and discovered to my horror that the 264 was nothing more than a 270 Winchester with a belt as far as velocity goes. I could get 3000 fps with a 140 grain bullet in the 270 and the 264 has to have a couple inches longer barrel and more powder to break 3000 with the same weight bullet. The only thing that has kept the 264 alive all these years is the 6.5 mm bullets.
My current 270 wby is chronographing a 130 grain Acubond at 3550 fps and shoots under MOA. This is a bit faster than the reloading data says it should be but in comparison to the 264, there is no comparison!
My current 270 wby is chronographing a 130 grain Acubond at 3550 fps and shoots under MOA. This is a bit faster than the reloading data says it should be but in comparison to the 264, there is no comparison!
Until recently, no powders on the market truly could perform well in the 264wm. Now, with RL33, Retumbo, H1000, RL26, RL25, IMR 7828, you can see 3150 fps with 140's from a 24" barrel, 3200 fps from 26".
I think what you've experienced with the 264, 270Win, & 270 Wby is called chamber pressure
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I've experienced chamber pressure with every cartridge I've owned and or reloaded for so I don't follow what your trying to tell me.
What your saying may be true about some of the newer powders but some of the powders you mention such as 7828 and H1000 are not showing any faster speeds than 4831 did which was one of the powders I used 30 years ago, at least according to Hodgdons website anyway.
I still like the 264 win mag and I'd like to buy another one some day but it's not the magical caliber that a lot of shooters seem to think it is. As good as the 6.5 mm bullets are, they aren't really any better than most other similar weights and calibers at common hunting ranges unless your into splitting hairs. Of course, splitting hairs is what a lot of shooters like to do!
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I've got a 257 Weatherby but, in reality, I bought the rifle as a donor to (probably) build a 264. But then again, I've got a 7mm Weatherby which is better than either of them.
I would vote for the 264 just because I'm a 6.5 freak. Honestly don't even need a cartridge that big, powder wise for deer and wolf at those distances. 6.5 Creed, 7mm-08, 308, 270 or 280 (and many others!) will work just fine.
comparing a 264wm 140gr @ 3000 fps vs a 270 Wby 130gr @ 3550 fps is apples to oranges. I can guarantee the improper powder was used in the 264, and probably loaded mild to boot, and the 270 Wby was loaded hot with an optimum fuel for that chambering.
The 26 Nosler I load for shoots 140gr @ 3310 fps (26" barrel) with RL33. This cartridge has a 22% larger case capacity, which means only 5.5% increase in velocity potential. The math is right, as the 264wm will push a 140 @ 3140 fps easily with suitable powders and chamber pressures close to SAAMI maximum
Using IMR 4831 in a 264wm is like using Varget in a 300wm
I agree with todbartell. With the new powders available now the 264 WM should perform much better than when it was first introduced. With that said I don't have a 264 WM. But with a proper speced custom reamer and a good powder like N570, R26,R33 etc I would be surprised if the 264 WM couldn't push 140's at 3200 fps. My 6.5 SHERMAN only needs 64 gr of N570 to get a 140 Berger going 3339 fps out of a 28" Hart. This was a max load however so I did drop it by one grain to save brass. Primer pockets loosened after 5 loadings.
